Shopkeepers joined an increasing chorus of voices today demanding to know what the police were doing as swathes of London descended into chaos last night.

Business owners accused police of adopting a softly-softly approach which left their shops and businesses vulnerable to attack by baying mobs.

While police were criticised in some quarters for being far too slow to get to riot scenes, officers were accused by shopkeepers in Hackney of standing just yards away from looters as windows were smashed and armfuls of goods were scooped up.

Cypran Asota, who has run the Boots opticians for 25 years, told the London Evening Standard how he watched as the shop was destroyed.

Watching brief: Police stand by as rioters vandalise shops in Hackney, east London, last night. Shopkeepers today were furious that the police did not stop the looters

This Carhartt outlet store in Hackney was ripped open by the mob

He said police stood by yards away, adding: 'White boys ripped off the shutters, then a group of around eight or nine children went in and stole the day’s takings.

'I ran back over the road to plead with them, this is my livelihood and I have to protect it, but they kept coming back in. They must have got away with £15,000 worth of frames. My insurance doesn’t cover acts of terrorism.

'All the time the police were about 15 yards away, just watching. They didn’t do anything to stop it. They looked more scared of those kids than I was.'

Shopkeeper Shiva Kadih, 39, told the Standard he had 'nothing left' as witnesses said they prevented an attempt to burn down the shop as police watched nearby.

The tales of despair came as police pledged a more 'robust' response toany further disturbance.

Metropolitan Police chiefs today said they had not ruled out the use of baton rounds to quell violence on London's streets tonight as thousands more officers are deployed to keep the peace.

The suggestion came after David Cameron called for more 'robust' police action.

Some 16,000 officers are being put to work from this afternoon to avoid a fourth straight night of chaos in the capital, up from 6,000 last night.

Unopposed: Looters brazenly carry off a TV from a shop in Hackney

Thin blue line: The Metropolitan Police has been criticised for not having enough officers on the street

Asked if they would resort to the non-lethal plastic bullets, Assistant Commissioner Steve Kavanagh said:'That's a tactic that will be used by the Metropolitan police if deemed necessary.'

Firearms units trained to use the rubber bullets are braced in case they are needed. It would be the first time ever the baton rounds have been used in British disturbances.

Mr Kavanagh said Scotland Yard was 'not going to throw 180 years of policing with the community away' as the prospect of using the ammunition for the first time at a British disturbance was raised.

'The use of any tactics will be considered carefully,' he said but then added: 'That does not mean we are scared of using any tactic.'

It is likely the Met will sanction the use of armoured vehicles, called 'Jankels', again after they were seen on the streets of Ealing and in Clapham on Monday.

'The use of armoured vehicles driving at speed towards these looting individuals is a new tactic never used before. It's quite shocking for the people of London to see that's what we have to do,' Mr Kavanagh said.

He said resources were stretched 'to a level I have never seen before', appeared to concede the policing effort had fallen short by apologising today.

'We need to do better for London because those images last night were shocking for everyone,' he said at a briefing.

Commander Simon Foy warned police would mount a 'vigorous and rigorous pursuit' of offenders not already in custody, saying: 'We will come and find you.'

But there were calls for a more interventionist approach during the riots, with claims police were standing by as shops were ransacked and burned.

Angie Bray, MP for Ealing Central and Acton, said policing could be 'more robust' but added that it was difficult because officers were 'damned if they do, damned if they don't'.

She said: 'Policing is done by consent and we have to decide what level of policing we are prepared to go to. In my personal opinion they could be a lot more robust.'

Senior officers have complained Scotland Yard has been left 'rudderless and without direction' since its chief quit over the phone hacking scandal.

Tim Godwin became acting Met chief after Sir Paul Stephenson and his assistant John Yates suddenly resigned, leaving a vacuum at the top of Scotland Yard.

Now he is in charge during the worst rioting to hit Britain in decades, with police cells overflowing and the thin blue line at full stretch as the violence spreads.

There have been questions over whether the fledgling management board were able to settle in to their new roles before the crisis.

On the run: Looters escaping with stock from shops has become commonplace

The force has already endured the revelation that the most senior officer in Haringey left to go on holiday just hours before rioting began on Saturday.

Groups of shopkeepers and young men were forced to take to the streets to fight off rioters to protect businesses in some areas.

Up to 300 officers were drafted in from the Home Counties to bolster the response but they were overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the fighting.

The relative calm in Dalston was laid at the door of 'heroic mobs' of Turkish men standing guard in the high street, one resident said.

In the busy shopping street of Green Street, in Forest Hill, there were reports that 400 young Asian men had chased off up to 150 rioters.

Smash and grab: In Peckham, these rioters escaped with armfuls of clothing

Residents in Clapham, Croydon, Peckham and Hackney complained at the absence of police officers during the worst confrontations.

In Clapham, Owen MacCarthy, 28, a bank worker, said: 'It's disgusting. These kids are out to loot as much as they can and they won't stop until they've got everything.

'I have seen people rob things then go home and come back for more. We've been here for an hour and half and we haven't seen a single police officer and these kids have no idea between right and wrong.'

In Peckham, onlookers said they feared for their lives as people struggled to get through to emergency services by phone and police took a long time to arrive.

Staff in a branch of Tesco Metro described how they hid as masked looters rampaged through the shop stealing alcohol and food.

The manager said: 'I was locked inside my store for 45 minutes before the police came and let me out. We phoned them at seven o'clock and they didn't come until eight.

'We locked ourselves in the office. They kicked the door in and looted everything - it was terrifying. I didn't even know what to do. I had my seven staff inside with me.'

This Wetherspoon pub in Woolwich, London, was completely gutted by fire

A building burns, in Croydon, watched by a riot officer

People also took to Twitter to voice their dissatisfaction with the police response.

Former London Mayor advisor Atma Singh tweeted: 'The image of London on TV is lawlessness. The police has a duty to stop the violence & criminals. No excuses for inaction. It's appalling.'

And James Sheridan tweeted: 'The police need to do *something* - this is spreading because of their inaction. Looters know the Police won't do anything, so it spreads.'

Twitter was also used as a forum to voice dissatisfaction with the London Fire Brigade, which some people felt was not acting soon enough.

Others wrote: 'Please, WHY are the fire brigade and the police just casually letting these buildings burn?! Fire spreads!!!!!! #confused?'

One woman said: 'Where is the fire brigade? My sister in law is terrified in a house near that fire, gangs in front of her house no police or fire engines.'

It was claimed that the London Fire Brigade was refusing to answer calls because they were not protected by the police but a Fire Brigade Union spokesman denied this.

He said it had long been the case that firefighters would always attend, although they may stand back while police tackle violence until it is safe for them to do their job.

The procedure was not to put crews unnecessarily at risk of harm during a riot as they may be injured and not being able to do their jobs or risk having their equipment seized, he explained.

Today, Brian Coleman, chairman and leader of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, said: 'Our staff worked throughout the night and have shown nothing but dedication and absolute professionalism. They are a credit to the London Fire Brigade and a credit to the whole of London.

'Those who are starting these fires deliberately are in danger of killing someone if this widespread, mindless thuggery continues.'